Robin Roberts Makes Return to ‘Good Morning America’

Anchor Robin Roberts returned to her post on “Good Morning America” Wednesday morning, five months to the day that she underwent a bone marrow transplant to treat myelodysplastic syndrome or MDS, a rare blood disorder.

“I keep pinching myself and I realize that this is real. This is really happening,” Roberts said. “Faith, family and friends have brought me to this moment and I am so full of gratitude.”

The cancer survivor continued.

“There’s so many people that I want to thank throughout the morning, my doctors and nurses and family and colleagues and people who have sat in this chair and those who have blazed the trail before me,” Roberts said.“As my mother said, ‘We all have something,'” she said. “Everyone’s story has purpose and meaning and value and I share this morning, this day of celebration, with everyone.”

Her return to the show after only a five-month absence to join her co-anchors George Stephanopoulos, Josh Elliott, Lara Spencer and Sam Champion, was a moment she had visualized during her recovery.

“It’s something like this,” she told them, “looking into Sam’s blue eyes. …I love how we’re sitting, how we would be sitting. …But I know when I sit back down, right in this chair, and I look over and I see you and I see you and I see you and I see you, it’s gonna be, all is right in the world. And it’s gonna seem like no time has passed at all.”

“GMA” announced Roberts would return on Feb. 6 after her most recent test showed no signs of abnormalities and she received the blessing of her doctors to return to work. Roberts did a few test runs in the show’s Times Square studio to start getting herself used to the anchor chair again, testing the studio lights on her sensitive skin and eyes, and adjusting to the early morning wake-up calls.

George Stephanopoulos announced last Thursday on “GMA” that Roberts would appear on the red carpet at this Sunday’s Oscar ceremony. It was at the Oscars one year ago that Roberts has said she started feeling badly and one of her recovery goals was to be back in time for this year’s ceremony.